Deception
by Zurhei
Summary: This is a story that I've started writing about my own flock of 'lil mutants, set in Australia after they've just escaped Maralinga. For those who don't know, Maralinga DID actually exist. In the 1960's during the nuclear arms race it was used for testing the effectiveness of their new plutonium bombs. It has long since been shut down and cleaned up...
1. Chapter 1

It felt so good to have the wind rustling at my feathers again as I soared high and fast, circling upward and riding a thermal. Xi's wings touched the tips of mine as he whopped and whistled like a little child, not the fifteen year old he is. It's his first flight so I cut him some slack.

I apologise, I really should explain. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure where to start. So I'll start from the beginning.

I'm called Esis and I'm about fourteen years old. No one's really sure. I have bright orange hair with a mind of it's own and eyes that They described as flickering flames, burning embers. One of my friends said they were wrong; my eyes were soft, warm coals. She loved creating stories from nothing; she loved to describe using words that fit perfectly together. But she's dead now.

I have a wingspan of just over three and a half meters, my feathers are a brilliant white, when clean that is, and they're perfect replicas of the owls that I share 2 % of my DNA with. The rest is human as far as I know. Don't quote me on that now.

I lived at a place called Maralinga. No that's not true. At Maralinga I didn't live, I just survived. Maralinga was a nuclear testing site in the mid-fifties, in the cold war I'm told. When they were found out they shut down and shipped off. They extended their research into other branches, and from there, they created me and my family. Not to say they stopped testing with radiation. They did that to us too.

They had a bit of a race against America I heard. America won, but we were still made. One day, I hope to set free the subjects in America. Who knows, maybe I'll just save the world in doing so? Okay, jokes aside.

I grew up in a cage in Maralinga. Some might say it was my childhood, but it was my nightmare. It doesn't matter now, because I've escaped my crate and this time I'm staying out. Finally I fly free.

I think I'd better tell you about my family. Alpha's the oldest, my only blood relative at sixteen years old. He accepted Their name for him. His wings are fused to his arms. They call him a mistake.

There's Beta next-no one knows what she called herself. She was part falcon, and oddly enough, she was younger than the person They called Gamma, the letter in the Greek alphabet that should have come after her. I thought she was a perfect friend, but they must have found a defect because three years ago they put my blonde haired, blue-eyed friend to sleep. She loved to use her imagination to create. She always wondered what the world outside was like. But she only escaped when They allowed it.

Gamma, we call Xi in defiance of the names They bestowed on us. We chose the letter of the Greek alphabet that was used for unknowns. Because I never could get inside his head.  
I am Delta, though no one calls me that. I'm Esis the escaper, I've disappeared six times. This time I actually will stay out of there. Away from the whitecoats, the scientists`.

Our pack, our flock as we call it, broke out earlier tonight, but we got split. Me and Xi had each other, which left Alpha with the kiddies, Sun-a cat slash dragonfly girl (I never did work out why they did that) and her brother Indigo, with more delicate but also more agile, dragonfly wings. I just had to hope they were all right and would meet us where we'd agreed.

I dipped a wing and banked to the left. Xi clumsily copied me and I laughed-making no noise.

He grinned. "Now I know why they clipped our wings."

_Because they wanted us for Eraser snack. _I replied in the only way I could.

At Maralinga, They referred to me as dumb, though I'm not intellectually stupid. From what I can work out, humans have a voice box called a larynx. But I got stuck with the bird's voice box- a syrinx. Pretty whistles, yes. Actual talking, incredibly difficult.  
However, plutonium radiation had an effect on me, a serious one. I can read people's minds. Not all people, just most. I can't manage to get into Xi's head, it's like he has a barrier up all the time. And so the way I talk is by placing my voice into everyone's thoughts, with a voice of my own. In case you're wondering, it does freak most people out. Except the whitecoats. They don't know of course.

And the Erasers I mentioned? They guard Maralinga, but they were sent from America, mutants but not like us, they're part human part wolf. Genius's build mutants together, and help each other out.

Like the American whitecoat, Jeb. Idiot told us he was on our side. Alpha smacked him up the side of the head with a clipboard and unlocked our dog cages. We literally just walked out the door. Unfortunately, Alpha didn't hit him hard enough. We threw ourselves into the air, splitting and I pushed a mental image of a map I'd once seen to Alpha. That's how he knows where we'll be. I hope.

Xi smacked into my side and we swerved in the air as I prayed this would never end.


	2. Chapter 2 and 3

Chapters 2 and 3. By themselves they're a little short, so I put them together.

But of course, it did end.

The cave was cold and we huddled round the fire. Xi and I talked. Maybe talked wasn't the best choice of words, but it's close enough.

I showed him each of my previous escapes, through the mental connection we could have whenever he lowered the barriers that normally force me out. I had my hand on his cheek, for some reason it's easier to share thoughts when I'm touching someone. Not that I was at all comfortable with it. I have a very large personal bubble, no doubt a result of the white coats experimentation. I don't like people touching me or being too close. But I put up with it.

I remember the first escape the best; I was so excited about seeing what was out there. At eight years old, I'd never even seen the light of the sun.

I remember the fear that felt as if it had been injected into my veins as the Erasers chased me. Even a bird cannot fly forever. Erasers are made for a single purpose, to make sure not a single soul finds out about us. I found that on my third escape. They slaughtered the family that dared protect me. Even killed their four-month-old child.  
I spread my wings carefully as I relived each one, Xi watching my memories and feeling what I had felt. I was a little embarrassed, but I knew he wouldn't care. I take that back, I didn't know, but I hoped.

There was a silence after, and I could feel his eyes on me as I practiced my letters in the dirt.

"Nothing to say?" He asked.

I shook my head, then stared into the darkness. I hate the dark, hate not knowing what might be out there.

As I lay on my side with my wings stretched out, Xi talked, taking away the whispers of the silence that I hear. When all is quiet, I hear the voices of the dead who still have business in this world. Trust me, it's not something I enjoy.

Finally, I slept.

Xi had already roasted some possum by the time I woke. Yes, possum. Look, if you're hungry enough, you'll eat anything. It also bet the slops we were fed at Maralinga any day.

We set off, heading for the destination on the map. I noticed that Xi was quickly becoming more coordinated. After a stop for some supplies we headed roughly southish. We flew almost all day, me showing Xi some tricks I'd learnt, including dives and how to turn just slightly using the very tips of your primary feathers.

The map I'd shown Alpha was of the River Murray. I know it a seriously long way, but we could fly real fast.

It had taken me longer to reach it the first time, but now I had larger wings, stronger muscles, and my hearts were more efficient than they used to be. Sorry, that's another fact I forgot. Larger lungs than humans, I also have air sacks, hollow bones and two hearts. I've been told that's not normal, though I must ask how the humans get through with only one heart. It's just seems illogical to me, I have two lungs and two hearts to match.

There was a cave in the cliff, just above water level. It seemed smaller than I remembered, but still big enough for all of us. It was harder to get a fire going, but we managed and soon we had nothing to do but wait. Xi, went out to get some food.  
I don't think I mentioned it before, but the nuclear tests affected him too. Boys are more likely to mutate, especially at a young age. His fingers and toes are elongated, but he's also able to shape-shift. Yeah, you heard me.

He returned with two rabbits and I'd never been so thankful that the convicts were stupid. Flying takes huge amounts of energy, and I'd been running on empty.

He laughed as I tore at the meat with my teeth. At Maralinga, they'd begun teaching us so that we might run it for the next generation of miserables. I'm not sure where they put their brains for that one. They taught us everything from history to personal hygiene, neither of which seemed appropriate at the moment.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He laughed again.

_Seriously, what's with the laughing? _I glared.

"We're out!" He shook his head in disbelief. "We're out."

I rolled my eyes, but tried not to rain on his parade too much. Not that it really rains much here, but anyway.

He sat down and shook out his wings. A couple feathers came loose and floated to the ground. I picked one up and turned it over in my fingers. A single long, brown feather, one of the coverts. I put it down again and lent back, curling my wings around myself. Before I knew what he was doing, Xi wrapped his arms and wings around me.

And for the first time in my memory, I felt secure.


	3. Chapter 4

I don't normally sleep well, I've suffered from insomnia as long as I can remember, They always said it was because I was part owl. But now I feel more refreshed than I ever did.

At about noon, Alpha and the kids swept in with no warning. The kids were buzzing with excitement and I could sense their happiness through my telepathy. I wondered how long that would last, before the usual hunger set in.

It was so good to know they were all right and that they'd got out. I hadn't even let myself admit I was worried.

We tried to work out where to go next, but the only thing we decided on was south. Alpha went and 'hunted'. He said it was instinct or something. He and Xi are both birds of prey in one form or another. That's all I ever worked out.

We moved to another cave, close by but not too close and decided that tomorrow we'd start our southward trek.

Xi pulled out some of my pinfeathers, where my wings join my back with these little downy feathers. I didn't dare say that it was commonly the job of a bird's mate. It occurred to me that perhaps he already knew. I helped him with his as well, a case of 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'. Just somewhat more literal than usual.

Sun, the little girl who came with Alpha, showed me how to light a fire, something I'd never managed to do by myself. In return, I taught her how to plait hair, which was something I didn't use normally, but it kept her soft brown hair reigned in. My hair was too wild to be contained in a simple plait.

Damn hair. I mean seriously, what the heck do you need that for?

There's definitely a reason that people dream of flying. Wind pulling your hair back, sun on your face, powerfully dominating the skies. I love it.

We spent the whole day flying south, camped out in trees for the night, and now we're flying again.

Sun and Indigo were zipping around like little zippity… things, stopping to hover every so often, then darting off in another direction in true dragonfly fashion.  
On the subject of dragonflies, where the heck did they get their names from? It's not like they look like dragons at all.

I apologise for my tangent.

Another thing I learnt today. Clouds are cold and wet. So if you're flying, try not to go through clouds. Also, it's hard to see through them.

But it's just so good to stretch your wings…

I tried diving and practised pulling out of them, which strained the muscles across my back. We all practised banks and turns without crashing into each other, much easier said than done.

As we came down to land next to this lake, Xi pulled his wings in and dove straight into the lake with a childish evil cackle. He succeeded in soaking us all through. We all took a swim anyway, it was the closest thing to a wash we were going to get.

"Hey, Esis I didn't know your wings were white!" Indigo laughed.

Shut it you. I replied with a smile on my face. He only got away with it because he's nine years old. I decided if Alpha tried to tease me about my looks, I'd kick him in the shins. Ditto for Xi.

I was on first watch that night. Sun had a nightmare, so after that I held the six-year-old until she slept again. I woke Xi for his watch before settling down to sleep with Sun cuddled to my chest, and my wings wrapped around her.


	4. Chapter 5

It was cold and dark when I woke. I could feel the familiar icy touch of metal, the base of my cage. I squinted, making out the shapes of crates next to me, Xi and Sun. I couldn't see Alpha or Indigo. I hoped they'd gotten away.

I tried to move to a slightly more comfortable spot when I realised, to make it all worse, They'd given me a medium sized cage when I needed a large one. I sighed and shook what dust I could from my wings.

Xi stirred and I glanced his way. _You alright?_

"I'm in a freaking cage." He replied in an angry whisper. "What d'you think?"

_No broken bones? _I questioned.

He shook his head. I slipped my hand between the bars and grasped his. _Alpha will help us won't he?_

"He'll try."

I dropped his hand and covered my eyes as a door opened and let in a stream of blinding light. I heard a key turn in a lock and was wrenched to my feet by an Eraser.

They clipped metal bands around my wrists and ankles, binding me to a stretcher. I struggled, but knew it was no use. I wouldn't be let out until They were done with me.

-

I was shaking when They threw me back in my cage. I just couldn't stop shaking.

Xi's crate was empty, but Sun peered at me from hers. She sported a black eye and an obvious bruise on her shoulder, as well as a deep looking cut across her cat-like tail.

She reached between the bars and I held her hand tightly. "How are your wounds?" She whispered so seriously for a child of six years.

I showed her the blood seeping through the bandages covering my wrists where they'd cut me. My face still felt sticky from the electrodes they'd put there to monitor me.

I let go of her hand and withdrew into my cage. _Yours?_ I replied.

She shrugged. "Same old." She whispered, shivering.

I drew my wings tightly around myself, trying to escape the cold.

Soon enough Xi was thrown back in his cage, swearing loudly at the Erasers. They gave him a punch in the gut for his trouble.

_I must say, I haven't heard that one before, _I said.

"Shut up." He replied bitterly.

_You okay? _I asked.

He nodded and made a sign with his hands like the ones I was taught by the people at the relearning centre. It meant 'you'.

I held out my wrists and he made a growling noise. I could feel rage from him, and fear from Sun. More than fear, she was terrified.

I could see other failed experiments shivering or muttering in their cages and I found myself wondering how long they'd be here for, how long before someone put them out of their misery.

Another Whitecoat came in and I moved to the back of my cage before I saw that he was carrying something, no someone. It looked to be a little girl, maybe three years old. I saw the rest when he crouched and put her in the cage. She had wings.

There are more of us.


	5. Chapter 6

They came to get me again, following the routine of being unceremoniously pulled out of the cage and thrown onto a stretcher, restricted by metal bands etcetera, etcetera.

There aren't any windows in the cage room, so it was impossible to tell if it was morning, evening, noon or night. I wouldn't have a clue.

The last test had involved Them slashing open my wrists for no apparent reason, as well as Them investigating the few small downy feathers that grow between my fingers. The feathers help me to angle myself in the air, so it's sort of like how a duck has webbed feet. Except it's not totally webbed, just a little.

This time they checked the bandages, and though it was just a few hours since They had last taken me, the cuts had already healed over, replaced by pale scars.

They put electrodes on my temples, a couple on my face and two over my twin hearts. I could hear Them murmuring about the speed of my heartbeats, normally each heart beats ninety times a minute, They said, and so one hundred and eighty times each minute should be the total average.

I wanted so much to lash out at Them to hurt Them in the same way that They were hurting me and my flock, but of course the bands around my wrist stopped me.

If I ever get out of here, I'm never going to go to the doctors. Ever.

I felt a needle pierce my upper arm, and I stopped struggling, not by choice. As one of the whitecoats took a scalpel and lowered it to my neck I willed myself to close my eyes.

A searing pain like I'd never felt before erupted, and I tried to breathe as everything became fuzzier and fuzzier, but it felt as if the air was being ripped from my lungs and air sacs. The air itself began to burn my face and I felt like my chest was going to collapse.

I could hear the machines going berserk as someone, a whitecoat presumably, put a tube done my throat. They placed a mask over my face as I wished I could have looked away and then everything went completely and utterly black.

-

The metal was stuck to my face. I could see bars in front of me and I stared at them defiantly while I waited for the world to come back into focus.

My throat burned. I pulled myself into a sitting position, though moving my head hurt really bad. I leant against the bars in the back of the cage and looked at the other cages. Sun and Xi gazed at me.

"You okay?" Xi whispered.

I shook my head slowly, ignoring the pain that cut just like that knife did.

"They made us watch." Sun whimpered. I reached out to her and held her hand firmly.

I glanced at some of the other crates. The girl that I saw before, the toddler with black hair and blacker wings, she looked at me with innocent eyes. I turned away. I could do nothing for her.

I drew my hand back and carefully touched my neck, a little worried I admit. It was covered in bandages. I wondered what it was they had done to me.

I shook out my wings and twisted to scratch my back where the skin turns to feathers. A couple downy feathers stuck to my fingertips.

Xi watched my every move without blinking as I pulled my wings close and shivered in the cold. I had thought at the Relearning Centre, that all though life (if you could call it that) there was bad at least I wouldn't be kept in a crate made for a dogs and experimented on as if I were a lab rat. I couldn't have been more wrong, but it didn't matter.

When all went quiet I could hear moans of failed mutations and hear the cages creak. This place is the nightmare of nightmares.

A light bulb down the hall flickered several times, then stopped shining at all. There were no windows.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, another result of being part owl.

I shivered as the first voices pierced my consciousness. That was the worst part of being back. Then, once more I was hearing the voices of those long gone, but were not yet ready to leave.

I won't speak too much of what they said, but not all of them were experiments. Four of them were scientists. One said he was sorry and I could feel that he meant it. He was in too deep by the time he found out about the human experiments. All he had wanted to do was apologise.

After what must have been several hours, I slept once more.


	6. Chapter 7

I woke when I heard the clatter of a key turning in a lock. I looked down and moved to the back of my cage. Something wasn't quite right, then I realised I could feel that this person was worried for me. I carefully moved my head and looked straight into the eyes of someone I knew. He put his index finger to his lips, I nodded.

I crawled out and took several steps with caution. I hadn't walked in days.

Alpha passed me one of the keys and I unlocked the cage that held the tiny little girl I saw before, while Alpha unlocked Sun and Indigo uncaged Xi.

The girl was so tiny and perfect; I felt a tsunami of rage against the people who hold all of us captive. I thought I was used to their cruelty, but suddenly I decided I'd do everything in my power to get this little girl out.

"Are you all okay?" Alpha looked at me protectively. I moved my hand to show the sign that meant 'more or less'. He touched the bandages on my neck, but I backed away and nodded towards the door.

Xi led the way and Alpha took up the back. The keys unlocked the doors they needed, but when Xi's hand touched the door knob a siren blared through the air.

"Go!" Alpha yelled and pushed me and Indigo through.

I could hear rushing feet and I grabbed Alpha's wrist. _Not without you, brother._  
The footsteps of the Erasers grew louder and Indigo took the girl from my arms and jumped into the air with Sun.

The Erasers appeared in front of us and I looked at Alpha.

_Come on. _I said forcefully and tugged at his wrist, but he pulled it from my grasp. I took a step back and looked warily at the Erasers that were practically on us.

"Alpha," Xi called. "We gotta get out."

As Alpha turned I saw one of the half morphed Erasers reach into his jacket. He held a pistol in his tight paw and even as I tried to warn him, I knew it was too late.

There was a thunderous noise and time seemed to slow as Alpha took an awkward step forward, then dropped to his knees. Blood blossomed across his chest.

I tried to get to him, but Xi grabbed me around the waist and yanked me off my feet.

Alpha fell face first.

I reached out to him in disbelief. "ALPHA!"

He lay there unmoving and I stared.

The Eraser aimed his weapon.

Xi pulled me out of the room and threw himself into the air, still with a tight grip on me.

"Alpha." I whimpered.

As we flew away from that place, no one spoke. There was nothing to be said.


	7. Chapter 8

"You spoke." Xi whispered in my ear as he beat his wings strongly.

I shivered from the altitude and, perhaps surprise. Alpha couldn't be gone.

I extended my wings and timed my downstroke to his. Xi still didn't let go of me.

As I closed my eyes, I could see happening all over again.

The blast of the gun, Alpha pitching forwards and hitting the ground. Xi grabbing me around the waist and pulling me away. A voice yelling, was it my voice?

I touched the bandages around my neck from the experiment the scientists had done on me. Had they restored my speech?

"Xi." It came out a whisper.

"Hey." He replied softly.

I shivered. "Alpha?"

"We couldn't save him." He loosened his grip on me a little. "You okay?"

"No. I'll never be okay."

"Can you fly by yourself again?"

I nodded and he let go of me. Indigo zipped in and handed me the small child that I'd released from a cage in Maralinga, the place where we'd been held.

She looked at me with dark eyes, almost black. Her hair and feathers were dark too and her skin was an olive colour. I smiled at her. "Hello." I whispered. "What's your name?"

"Who are you?" She replied. There was something unusual about her accent that I couldn't place.

"I'm Esis."

She giggled and pointed to herself. "Tide." She pointed to Xi. "Whozat?"

"That's Xi." I pointed towards the other kids. "That's Indigo and his sister Sun."

She reached out to Xi and I swooped in to hand her to him.

I felt empty with disbelief.

Then I heard Sun laugh as she flew into Indigo and saw Tide pulling at Xi's face. Indigo rammed into Sun and she dropped a few feet in the air before blowing him a raspberry. Xi made faces at Tide.

A childish laugh left my lips and I smiled.

I looked at the horizon and then I realised.

There's something about flying with our flock that's more freeing than anything else. I say that because after flying, everything else felt so far away. Somehow, amongst it all, for just a moment, I had managed to forget what had befallen Alpha. From that point on, my life began.


	8. Chapter 9

Our scavenged dinner was terrible, but I didn't really notice. Xi cooked prickly pear, but it took ages for him to convince us to eat it. Indigo also gathered some nuts. I didn't think they were native, but then I've spent most of my living in a cage.

Xi also devised some traps which he fashioned from rope and stuff.

We slept under the trees and stars that night and looked over some files that Indigo had taken before they came and got us. I couldn't read much of it, but I looked out for words I knew.

Yeah, I'm fourteenish and can barely read. Happens you know.

Xi took first watch and promised to wake me for second, but I couldn't sleep anyway.

Normally I can calm myself down by shaking out my wings and ignoring the usual thoughts that my telepathy brings (I normally ignore them most of the time anyway. It's a bit creepy to hear everyone's deepest secrets and I give them what privacy I can), but today I was still a little shaken.

The kids were instantly asleep.

Xi came and sat next to me, knowing what I was going through. He put his arms around me and I wept into his strong chest.

In all my life, only one thing had ever been sure, that my brother Alpha would always be there for me. With that taken away, I wasn't sure what was left.

In the morning I flew out to a town and checked some of the traps, while Indigo stole us some new clothes and other supplies. Just want to add, I hate skinny leg jeans.

We flew on, not knowing where we were going, except it away from the place They had held us. Tide flew for a while, but Xi carried her when she got tired.

Morning turned into afternoon, and when the sun began to droop in the sky we landed and found a place to camp. Sun set up a camp fire and we toasted some bread and ate what little food we had. Xi set up some traps for smaller animals.

Indigo insisted on taking first watch.

Xi said he'd look through the papers in his watch, after mine. When I closed my eyes, sleep came instantly.

-

My watch was uneventful, but in the morning Xi was excited.

"Huh?"

"Look, that's the sign for Beta, and that one's the sign for Delta. There's addresses next them." He pointed hurriedly at the pages.

"Does that mean something?" I asked tiredly.

"It's where we come from, Esis. This is where our parents live."

I shrugged, "If you say so."

"Don't you want to meet your parents?"

I shrugged again, struggling to find a way to explain myself. I touched his shoulder and pushed the feelings across. "I just don't know."

"Why don't you think they'll want you?" Obviously he'd understood what I had tried to get across.

"I'm not normal. I read minds and have wings. It's enough to scare most people." I twisted my hands. "You guys are my family anyway."

Indigo looked up from where he was stirring the coals back to life. "What did you find?"

Xi pointed. "Our names." Indigo's eyes grew wide.

"Can we go there?" His voice filled with excitement. "Please?"

I looked at Xi. _They have to, Xi._ I said to him privately. _They won't be able to live not knowing._

But, he replied, _Esis will you ever be able to leave them?_

I'll just have to. It's their choice, not ours.

Within half an hour the fire was doused and we were already far away.


	9. Chapter 10

It was just a housing trust home. I closed my eyes and opened them again. Tide shifted on my hip and Sun's hand was sweaty in mine. Xi looked at me over his shoulder and I gave a slight nod.

His knuckle rapped on the door.

We waited. Indigo jumped from one foot to the other with nervous energy.

A lady opened the door. She had brown hair just like Sun.

"Hi." I heard Xi say. "Are you Lana Mitchells?"

I looked at the ground and squeezed Sun's hand a little. I didn't hear the woman's reply.

"We're adopted and we've been trying to trace our parents. We think that Indigo and Sun might be your kids." I flinched. I was unsure how that would go down.

I was thankful though, that Xi had shifted into someone more normal looking. Often his blue/grey eyes disturb people. He had also put his hand on my shoulder and changed my hair into a soft blonde colour which he insisted was only because it was less noticeable and made Sun's cat ears significantly less obvious.

"I…I… Please come in."

Xi looked towards me and I nodded, she had no bad intentions, then helped Sun up the steps.

The couch was ragged, but we sat down gratefully.

"How did you find me?" The woman asked.

I felt Xi glance at me as he quietly laid out the papers. "We… uh… acquired these papers. They led us here."

There was a moment of nervous silence and I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans.

"I lost my kids years ago." She said, at almost a whisper. "They, they were different. I asked the doctors about it and the next day I was convicted of a crime I didn't do." There were tears in her eyes. "When I got out of jail, Sun and Indigo had been taken into care, and then they just disappeared."

I looked at Xi. "Every time you searched for them something happened to you." My voice was barely audible. I tried to speak with more confidence. "You couldn't find them."

Sun jumped up from next to me and embraced her crying mother. Indigo made it a group hug.

I smiled. This was what family was about.

Sun flicked her kitty tail and looked at Xi before extending her insect-like wings.

I could hear Ms. Mitchells asking what the whitecoats had done to her precious children. I knew that the whitecoats used childhood 'immunisations' to alter DNA, but They couldn't realise what damage they did to the lives of people like this.

They wouldn't be able to live with themselves, would they?

Lana convinced me and Xi to stay the night, but in the morning we'd found enough on Tide to pursue it. We knew it would be a challenge when we'd decoded it.

Our next destination would be Colorado, America.

There was just one problem. Xi had decided to stay behind with Indigo and Sun.

I felt so alone when he told me. I feel childish to admit that I thought we'd had something, like I could trust him more than I'd ever trusted anyone.

It was hard to say goodbye, but I tried to convince myself that I'd see them again soon, even though I didn't know that at all.

Tide and I flew strong and without pausing. We would reach the city of Adelaide before sunset. I had no idea what we were going to do next.


End file.
